Roku Partners with TCL, Hisense for Full-Fledged HDTV Sets

Perhaps fearing that 2014 will finally be the year an Apple-branded television set arrives, set-top box maker Roku has announced plans to offer a full-fledged HDTV of its own, no streaming box required.

And it's exactly what you think it is: Roku's software and Channel Store of more than 1,200 channels and 31,000 movies and TV shows, which will power new HDTV sets manufactured by TCL and Hisense in a range of sizes from 32 to 55 inches.

As the company fast approaches eight million Roku boxes sold to date in the U.S., Roku TV will be offered "in major retail stores starting this fall," promising to deliver "more options than all the other Smart TVs in the market."

Perhaps more importantly, Roku TV will come equipped with a remote control that features a mere 20 buttons -- half of what traditional television remotes typically have. iOS and Android users will also be able to control their Roku TV using the company's free app, which will also double as a way to cast content from a smartphone or tablet to the television set.